The Utopia Strong’s BBC Maida Vale Sessions pays homage to the iconic BBC live recordings, capturing their evolving sonic explorations from a 2022 Marc Riley session. The five-track album features analogue arpeggios, handcrafted pipes, and sprawling drones that evoke vivid imagery and non-Western modes. Extended pieces like “The Tower Is Locked” and “Weather All” showcase their signature live energy, with the latter performed at Andrew Weatherall’s festival amid a sudden downpour, creating a memorable, almost biblical moment. The band’s deep respect for the Maida Vale legacy shines through as they push their analogue synths into new imaginative realms.
